Artisan Mind seeks
to help create a world where
a diagnosis does not define a person, but instead
provides a path for unconditional acceptance,
opportunity and hope.

Alzheimer’s and Art: Breakthrough
Therapy
“Your memories are all in there. The part of the brain that is damaged
by Alzheimer’s is the part that gives you access. It’s as if you put
the memories in the glove compartment and lost the key. And the art
unlocked it.”
-Dr. John Zeisel, Founder of ARTZ and the I’m Still Here Foundation

“A great dose of art to revive rich emotional memories that are still
there. With a little help from Rousseau”.

For video of full ABC
News StoryAlzheimer’s and Art: Breakthrough Therapy,
CLICK HERE

Dave and Ramona

Imagine opening your email to this…

Hello family and friends. Just had to share our best photo in many,
many years. Our most grateful thanks to Tiffany Paige with ARTZ
(Artists for Alzheimer’s). This shot is in one of the halls of the
Crocker Art Museum. Photo was taken yesterday 01/17/2014. Title
should be "Shall We Dance?". Dave

Or imagine witnessing your loved one
like this…

After viewing paintings of mountains, Chuck slowly started to come to
life. He repeated numerous times that he “knew those mountains.” Each
time he said with a bit more conviction. Eventually he said boldly
“New York. Those mountains are in New York. I grew up in New York!”
With that connection he went on to share memories of his childhood in
the mountains of up-state New York. With each story, his sense of
identity was nurtured and validated. His eyes widened, he stood up
straighter, he smiled and left the museum beaming with
self-confidence.

Lake Tahoe by
Norton Bush,
Crocker Art Museum

“We all experience life in our own
unique, individual way that then intricately intertwines with others’
lives, creating a complex, wonderful human experience. Alzheimer’s and
dementia can deprive someone of the ability to weave themselves into
that valuable experience, to connect with others in a way we all need
on a very real and important level. Engaging with art has a
fascinating way of helping that person thread themselves back into the
human experience. It touches a part of ourselves that Alzheimer’s
cannot block. We have not figured out a way to prevent Alzheimer’s and
dementia, but the power of art has shown us a way to help someone
reroute around it and allows for a priceless connection, rejoining
these valuable people to our human experience.”

Research has long shown that art
therapy – actually making art, as well as visiting museums to see
established artists' work – can help dementia patients improve their
concentration and communication skills and relieve stress.
"Participants don't have to recall anything," said Paige. "There's no
right or wrong. Anything they experience is appropriate. They're
heard, and that helps re-establish their self.

“Individuals with Alzheimer’s have a way of seeing
things in art that we don’t see,” explains Tiffany Paige, who directs
the Sacramento chapter of ARTZ: Artists for Alzheimer’s.
About a painting of a rustic farmhouse, a 100-year-old resident
exclaimed, “It’s the story of America. It’s where I came from. It
tells about life.”